The Department of Applied Physiology & Wellness
Peter Weyand, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Applied Physiology and Biomechanics
Dr. Weyand is a physiologist and
biomechanist who joined SMU’s Department of Applied Physiology & Wellness in the Fall of 2008. Dr. Weyand earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Georgia in
1992. He subsequently directed research efforts at Harvard University’s Concord
Field Station, a large animal facility specializing in terrestrial locomotion
and later the Locomotion Laboratory of Rice University. Dr. Weyand has also
served as a Senior Research Fellow at the US Army's Research Institute for
Environmental Medicine and as a television science analyst for the
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Science Media Group.
Dr. Weyand is an
expert in the locomotion of humans and other terrestrial animals with broad
research interests that focus on the relationships between muscle function,
metabolic energy expenditure, whole body mechanics and performance. An expert in
the scientific basis of gait and movement, his global interests in muscles and
movement have made energy and performance central themes throughout his research
career. Dr. Weyand’s research and expertise on the limits of human and animal
performance have led to featured appearances on CNN, NHK Television in Japan,
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the History Channel, City TV of Toronto,
CBS Boston and others.
His specific
expertise on the mechanical basis of sprint running performance led to his
involvement in the “Michael Johnson, Wired Athlete” project undertaken in
conjunction with FitSense Inc. and NBC prior to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In
the Spring of 2008, Dr. Weyand served as a lead investigator and the host of the
scientific team who performed the experimental work to appeal the Olympic/IAAF
ban of double amputee, South African sprinter, Oscar Pistorius, aka the “blade
runner” to the International court of Sport Arbitration in Lausanne,
Switzerland.Selected Publications:
Weyand P, Bundle, M, McGowan C, Grabowski A, Brown MB, Kram R, Herr H. The fastest runner on artificial legs: different limbs, similar function? Journal of Applied Physiology, in press.
Bundle, M.W., Ernst, C.L., Bellizzi, M.J., Wright, S. and P.Weyand. A metabolic
basis for impaired muscle force production and neuromuscular compensation during
sprint cycling. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and
Comparative Physiology, 291:R1457-64, 2006.
Weyand, P. Lin, J.E. and M. Bundle. Sprint performance-duration relationships
are set by the fractional duration of external force application. American
Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 290:
R758-65, 2006.
Weyand, P. and J.A. Davis. Running performance has a structural basis. Journal
of Experimental Biology, 208: 2625-2631, 2005.
Weyand, P. and M. Bundle. Energetics of high-speed running: integrating
classical theory and contemporary observations. American Journal of Physiology:
Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 288: R956-R965, 2005.
Bundle, M., Hoyt, R.W. and P. Weyand. Energetics of high-speed running: a new approach to assessment and prediction. Journal of Applied Physiology, 95: 1955-1962, 2003.
Kerdok, A.E.,
A.A. Biewener, T.A. McMahon, P.G. Weyand and H.M. Herr. Energetics and
mechanics of running on surfaces of different stiffnesses. Journal of Applied
Physiology, 92: 469-478, 2002.
Weyand, P., Sternlight, D., Bellizzi, M. and S. Wright. Faster top running speeds are achieved with greater ground forces not more rapid leg movements. Journal of Applied Physiology, 89: 1991-2000, 2000.
Weyand, P., Lee, C, Martinez-Ruiz, R., Bundle, M., Wright, S., and M. Bellizzi. High-speed running performance is largely unaffected by hypoxic reductions in aerobic power. Journal of Applied Physiology, 86: 2059-2064, 1999.
Bundle, M.W., H. Hoppeler, J. Tester, R. Vock , H. Hoppeler, and P. Weyand. High
metabolic rates in running birds. Nature, 397: 31-32, 1999.